Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/125631
.·.·.· -.-__.·.·.·.·.·.v.· ·.·.·,.·.·.· ·.'.'.·.· '•.........•..................." .. Poteet Fastest In The Desert , '.·.·.'N.· ·.·.·•·•·•·•·.·•· · ·.·.·.·.·.·.·.".·.·•.•.•.•." ' .,. By Dick Wright Top Two: Tom Poteet and Mitch Mayes are two that represent the youth movement taking place In the desert'-today. Below: a long string of riders blast up one of the rocky hills o.n the Invader's course. By Terry Pratt SOUTH GATE, CAL. August 14th - A fifty lap TT race for 100cc bikes was the featured race at Trojan Speedway Thursday night. The lap charts showed that Dale Hopkins buzzed his Suzuki acx:oss the IIne the winner. Dale put In a fine performance, being rock steady and. perservering which is what makes winners In endurance races like Trojan's Mid-Summer Championship. However, In the eyes of the crowd, Gary Scott on his screaming Clmatti was the moral victor even though he took an official third place. Gary awed the throng with a charging catch- UP ride for the majority of the race. After the opening laps shuffle, Paul Wilde, Dale, Jack Morgan and Gary were all In contention. Sometime In the first quarter of the race Gary' s Cimatti ground to a halt. It was stopped but Gary wasn't. He wildly pushed the blown bike to the pits and came charging out on an Identical spare bike but he was now tWo laps behind. It was like the race started all over when he dove Into the first turn In pursuit of the leaders. Lap after lap Gary put together packaged examples of how to circulate on a TT course. in the least possible time. Even when he bobbled he looked smoother and faster thllP' anyone on the track. It must have been"true because within what seemed like an incredibly few laps he caught the leaders 'and passed them one by one. After he passed Paul WUde, 'who was leading, Gary appeared to be In the lead but he had yet another lap to make \lP. Nevertheless, the fans conceded the race to young Scott and most seemed to think that he was actually leading. The Clmatti continued the chase after the front runners and Paul WIlde reIInquished his lead to Hopkins when the Wilde Yamaha suffered a Grand Mal seizure. Gary was still gaining when the checkered put an end to the show flagging Hopkins first and Jack Morgan second. Earlier, Paul Wilde won the 125ec MaIn. And Lee Stumpenbaus held off steady Dave Riggs In the 250cc final. (Results on page 20) Hopkins Wins Troian 50 Scott Steals Show HI VISTA, CALIF. August 17-Theyouth movement was on, as nineteen-year-old Tom Poteet (#34x) took his third consecutive 250cc Expert win on his red Bultaco, and fourteen-year-old Jeff Wright (#15) took a second In a row 100Cc Expert win on his SS Hodaka. Young Don Ross (#893) picked uP his first win by taking the combined 500 & Open Amateur/ Expert go to the surprise of many spectators. All the races were run on the same six and a half mile course. It was fast and choppy, with plenty of trails where you could hang It all out In 5th gear (If you had enough hair). Passing was the order of the day, as there were many • side trails. A lot of the favorlte5bit the dust with flat tires gathered on the course's rocky hills. The first race of the day went off at 8 a.m. and was the large grouP of 100Cc novices. Tom Brooks (#157) on aHodaka grabbed a early lead, with Mitch Mayes (#933) rlght.on his tall with hisSS Hodaka. These two young chargers kept it uP the entire race with Mayes trying to pass Brooks and Brooks able to hold a thirtyfoot lead. At the finish It was Brooks by only twenty feet and Mayes In for second, way ahead of the rest of the pack. The 100cc Amateur/Experts were UP next and Jack Morgan (#1) on hisHodaka bad a five-foot lead over Jeff Wright (#15) on his SS Hodaka. They switched places back and forth on the first lap unW Morgan seized uP his engine and Wright went on to win with a two-minute lead over second man, Ken BucksPll1l (#244) taking first amateur on another SS Hodaka. Cordis Brooks (#110) was third on his Hodaka, taking second Amateur, followed by Milton Krause (#224) an amateur, and Randy Klossen(#40) Expert on a Sachs. Dave Trlb (#555x) on a Husky bad to move uP from sixth on. the first lap to take the winner'S flag of the 250Cc novice class, followed by Ernie ALexander (#304x) running secondy and taking the first 125cc gold on his Yamaha, JIm Hall (#232x) was next In on his Bultaco for second in the 250cc class. The fastest four laps of the day were turned in by the Bultaco of Tom Poteet (#34x). In winning the 125-250cc Amateur/Expert go, he was turning the course In nine minutes flat and was never more than two second off his timel Mike Patrick (#48x) on his Yamaha DT-1 diced with Poteet on the first lap until the Yamaha got a flat tire, then it was all Poteet. Larry Mulock was running second on his Yamaha on the yellow flag lap but got off on the back of the course and Gary Griffin (#10x) on a Bultaco lDIl1I'ed In to take second spot. Bill Turner (#61x) pulled in next on his Bultaco to take first Amateur honors, followed by the hardcharging Eric Jensen (#7l7x) taking the first 125cc spot on his Sachs. A wild affair was the Combined 500 & Open Novice race, with the lead changing many times on the first two Ia:ps. But then Butch Broman (#54) on a Husky took hold of the lead and held it to the finish. A number of eager riders were fighting for second sPOt, but on the last lap comIn~ through the dust it was the big rockcrusher, Joseph Cortez (#205) on his big 400cc Husky taking the secli)!\d spot. John Levrett (#931) also on a Husky was third. Favorites had a hard time of it In the Combined 500-0pen Amateur/Expert race. At the smoke bomb first was Larry Bergquist (#888) on a Bultaco, then John Gaetz on a Triumph and Mike Patrick (#1) on Husky • Coming through the pits it was Bergquist with a good lead, Gaetz second and Patrick was out of the race with mechanical trouble. The third lap found Bergquist and Gaetz out and Whitey Mattinto (#164) on a Malco bad the lead. But on the last lap Don Ross (#893) got past Whitey and came In for the win on his Husky. Whitey was second and both are Amateur ridersl Tom Muto was third on a H~ky, and Tim Smith was fourth on a Montesa. George Walker grabbed a second breath on the last lap and moved up to fifth place after a bad start. Duffy Hambleton was the first Open class rider in on his Triumph. The Invaders M.C. laid out a good, tough course and eVllryone got their money's worth. The Novices and Amateurs looked real good. They will be pushing some of the top favorttes hard before the year Is out. (Results on page 20) a , This wheel to wheel dive typifies the action at Trojan Speedway.